Fan Donna Amos (b.1946) died on March 25. Amos was active in convention fandom, attending Midwestcon, Rivercon, and some other Southern conventions. In addition to fandom, she worked in Afghan dog rescue, serving as the President of the New Orleans Afghan Hound Club and was on the Afghan Hound Club of America’s Board of Directors. She is survived by her husband, fan Ken Amos.

UNCG’s Science Fiction Fantasy Federation has announced that they will not hold StellarCon in 2014. The convention, the longest running con in North Carolina, has decided to use the 2013-2014 academic year as a time to restructure and reorganize in an attempt to attracts new people. They further decided that a labor intensive convention would get in the way of their long term goals. The current plan is to hold StellarCon 38 during the 2014-2015 academic year. StellarCon is sponsored by the University of North Carolina, Greenboro.

Actor Richard LeParmentier (b.1946) died on April 15. LeParmentier is best known for his portrayal of General Motti in Star Wars, where he was strangled by Darth Vader after questioning the power of the Force. His other genre roles included a reporter in Superman II, Lt. Santino in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and an episode of Space: 1999. LeParmentier, who also used the name Richard Parmentier focused on screenwriting and voice work after 1992.

The Heinlein Society has announced the second annual scholarship essay contest for the 2013-2014 academic year. Two $500 scholarships are available for undergraduate students of accredited 4-year colleges and universities majoring in engineering, math, or physical sciences, or in Science Fiction as Literature. Applicants will need to submit a 500-1,000 word essay on one of several available topics. The deadline for submission is May 15, 2013.

Fan Allyn Cadogan died on April 16 of liver cancer. Cadogan helped found Corflu, the fanzine fans’ convention, in 1983 with Lucy Huntzinger and Shay Barsabe. Cadogan entered fandom in Vancouver, Canada, editing BCFSAzine for a year in the mid 70s and working as treasurer for Westercon 30. She also published Genre Plat with Susan Wood, William Gibson, and John Park before continuing to publish it solo. She published other fanzines and, along with Huntziger and Barsabe, was responsible for the public access show Emperor Norton Science Fiction Hour.

The European Science Fiction Society has announced its board of directors for the 2013-14 year. ESFS was founded at the first Eurocon in 1972 and holds the event. In addition, the ESFS administers the European SF Awards. The 2013 Eurocon took place this past weekend. The 2014 Eurocon will be held in Dublin a week before Worldcon.

Author Nick Pollotta (b.1954) died on April 13. Pollotta has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Pollotta’s novels included Bureau 13, Illegal Aliens, and That Darn Squid God, as well as numerous other humorous novels. In addition, he wrote adventure novels under the house names James Axler and Don Pendleton. His “Satellite Night” series was written under the name Jack Hopkins.

This year’s nominees for the Prometheus Award and the Hall of Fame Award have been announced. The awards are presented by the Libertarian Futurist Society and winners will be announced in August at LoneStarCon 3, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas.

Actor Jonathan Winters (b.1925) died on April 11. Winters made his film debut in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and also appeared in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. He created the character Maude Frickert, but is best known to genre audiences for his role as Mearth on Mork and Mindy. Other genre work includes an episode of The Twilight Zone, the film The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, and voice-work on The Smurfs film.

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, 52, has been found guilty of first degree murder of John Sohus in 1985. Sohus and his wife Linda were active in LASFS until their disappearance. Gerhartsreiter, who has used the aliases Christopher Chichester and Clark Rockefeller, is believed to have murdered both of the Sohuses, although Linda’s body has never been found. Gerhartsreiter originally claimed the couple had left on vacation, but John’s remains were discovered by a construction crew in 1994.